Although herpes is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases, it’s shrouded in stigma.

And it's important to understand that genital HSV is very common, affecting about 20% of the U. If you hope to be sexually intimate with your date at some point, you may feel like you're keeping a secret.

If you are one to be candid with people, you'll want to blurt it out. There are some things you should reveal about yourself right away -- for example, that you're married, or that you're just in town for the week -- but some things are better left for the appropriate moment.

The fact that he'd been honest about this pretty major thing before we'd even met was a testament to how trustworthy he was, and maybe because of that, I continued to pursue him.

Recently, I started talking online with a new guy who made me feel all of the tingles and energy that signal the beginning of an exciting new relationship.

I wasn’t prepared when he suddenly dropped a bomb on me: He had genital herpes.

It's up to you to decide the right time to tell a date that you have genital herpes.

Follow two rules: First, don't wait until after having sex.

Second, don't wait until you're just about to have sex -- in which case the attraction may be too strong for either of you to think rationally and act responsibly.